Handbag and replaceable wraparound cover flap therefor



C. R; RYON July 9, 1957 HANDBAG AND REPLACEABLE WRAPAROUND COVER FLAP THEREFOR Filed Nov. 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l .....al'n'llllll INVENT OR CHESTER R. RYON C. R. RYON July 9, 1957 HANDBAG AND REPLACEABLE -WRAPROUND COVER FLAP THEREFOR Filed Nov. 28, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 2 I In .lllllllll ullllili ELT-fhg.'

INVENTIOR CHESTER R, mrowv ATTORNEY' United States Patent @nice 2,798,524 iatented July 9, 1957 IANDBAG AND REPLACEABLE WRAPAROUND CGVER FLAI THEREFOR Chester R. Ryon, Alexandria, Va.

Application November 28, 1956, Serial No. 624,839

6 Claims. (Cl. 15d- 28) This invention relates to a handbag and a replaceable wraparound cover flap therefor, and has for an object to provide a handbag and cover flap wherein the cover ap may be readily and easily removed and replaced and as readily reversed so that one single handbag may provide many different appearances by having the removable cover have different appearances on opposite sides thereof, and by providing as many additional removable covers as may be desired, each of which may have a different appearance from the previous covers as weil as different appearances on opposite sides thereof.

As is well known, most women consider their handbags as a necessary matching part of their outfits; they usually have different bags to match different clothing outfits. With this invention,` the same handbag may be used and made to match any desired outfit by merely having a matching wraparound cover flap matching the outfit, readily removable and replaceable on the handbag, thus eliminating the necessity for changing the contents of the handbag from one bag to another and enabling a matching cover for the outfit to be readily placed in position on the handbag. Furthermore, each individual removable and replaceable cover flap may be reversible and present a different appearance, thus enabling the same cover to complement two different outfits. This is particularly desirable in the case where a woman would like her handbag to match an outfit including her coat when she is wearing one, and would like the same bag to cooperate with her outfit when she is not wearing a coat, and in such case, the removable flap cover may have one side complementary to the coat, and the other side complementary to the outfit without the coat, so that if the woman removes her coat, she can make her handbag complement her outfit without the coat by merely reversing he cover flap without even removing it from the hand- A further object of this invention is to provide a handbag and a readily removable and replaceable wrap around cover flap therefor wherein the handbag is provided with a slot extending along the bottom from one end thereof, open at one end and closed at the other end, with means for readily opening and closing the open end, and wherein a` removable and replaceable cover Hap is provided with an end that is complementary to the slot in the bottom of the handbag so that it may be readily slid into the slot and be held in position by the closure means at the end of the slot so that the cover flap may be wrapped around the handbag in either direction, with means for latching the free end ofthe cover flap to the side of the handbag after it has passed over the top of the handbag, and with further means for detachably securing an intermediate portion of the flap to the handbag before it has passed over the top thereof, thereby making the first portion of the ap provide a secure hinging portion for the portion of the flap that passes over the top of the handbag and is secured on the opposite side thereof.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a removable and replaceable as well as a reversible cover flap for a handbag which will have means for cooperating with a slot in the bottom of the handbag for securing the which may be made' of any suitable type of material of which handbags are often made, including rubber, plastic, and various types of fabrics and materials in any desired color or shape. Thus, if a woman has a blue cloth outfit and a plastic raincoat, one of the covers might be provided with blue cloth material on one side thereof and plastic raincoat material on the other side thereof so that when the woman is wearing the raincoat she can have the plastic raincoat material visible on the outside of the handbag, and if she removes the raincoat, she can merely reverse the cover ap to the opposite side and thus have a blue cloth material visible thereon exactly matching the blue cloth material of her outfit. Obviously, many other combinations of colors and materials may be made available, all useable with the same original handbag, thus eliminating the necessity of changing the Icontents of the handbag from one bag to another.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, as will hereinafter become apparent, this invention comprises the combination, constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth, disclosed, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a handbag and wrap around cover flap of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the handbag of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through a fragf ment of the bottom of the handbag.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end view of the handbag showing how the cover is placed in the open slot.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bag bottom showing the slot closing means.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the slot cooperating means secured on the end of the cover ap.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view through the bag bottom showing a different type of slot.

There is shown at 10 a womans handbag made of any suitable material such as leather, cloth, fabric, plastic, metal or other similar material of which handbags are usually made, and provided at its ends with handle receiving rings 11 through which the ends of a handbag strap l2 may be permanently or detachably secured as by snay fasteners 14, the handbag strap 12 being provided with a conventional adjustable buckle 16 for adjusting the length thereof. With the fastening means 14 being in the form of a snap fastener, it is obvious that the handbag strap 12 may be removed and replaced as desired, and also may be reversed to have the inner and outer sides interchangeable which may be desirable when such opposite sides have different appearances and it is desired to make the appearance of the strap conform with the appearance of the handbag.

A wrap around cover 18 is provided for the handbag 10 and this invention consists in the manner and structure in which the wraparound cover 18 is reversibly, removably, and replaceably secured at one endl to the bottom of the handbag 10 and at its other end to the side of the handbag 10 after it has been wrapped around the handbag and over the top thereof.

The bottom 20 of the handbag 10 is provided with a slot 22 which extends inwardly at 24, the portion 24 of the slot 22 being provided in a metal base 26 secured in any suitable manner Within the bottom 20 of the handbag 10. Although not shown, an innerI lining for the bag 10 may obviously conceal the metal base 26 within the bag so that it will not be visible within the bag. As here shown, the slot 24 is circular in cross section, and one end of the slot 22 is closed as at 25 as by the material of the handbag 10. The other end of the slot 22 is open through the end of the bottom 20 ofthe handbag 10 as at 27. Pivotally secured as at 28 to the bottom of the bag 20 at one side of the open end 27 of slot 22 is a hinged catch 30 having inwardly extending friction pimples 32 al;

the free end thereof and provided with a linger piece 34 on the side extending toward the top of the bag so that it may be readily engaged by ones finger or finger nail for moving it between opened and closed positions so that it may be closed across the open end 27 of slot 22 as illustrated in Fig. 1 or may bel opened to permit the cover flap to be removed or replaced therein as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The wrap around cover flap 18 of this invention consists of a single'or double sheet of material of any suitable nature such as leather, plastic cloth, fabric, or any desired material of which handbags are often made, and may have one surface of one material and the opposite surface of a different material or of a different appearance as desired, differing. in color or decoration or fabric or any combination thereof as desired. One end of the cover flap 18 is made complementary to the slot 24 by any suitable manner. As here shown, a rod 36has a slot in which the end V38 ofthe iiap 18 is secured as by countersunk rivets 40 suitably spaced therealong. The length of the rod 36 is such that when the closing latch 3) is in closed position, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the rod 36 will just` snugly fit in the slot 24 extending the full length thereof and thus hold the cover liap 18 in proper position relative to the bag 20.

The free end 42 is provided with some type of latch cooperating means such as a suitably reinforced opening 44 for cooperating with a rotatable latch 46 secured in the side of the handbag 10, this-rotatable latch 46 may be provided only on one side of the handbag 10, but for convenience it may be duplicated on the opposite side as shown. If onlyfoneV rotatable latch 46 is provided, the cover flap 1 8 may be reversed by removing it from the slots turning it end for end and replacing it, but if both rotatable latches 46 are provided, the cover flap 18 may be reversed by merely unlatching it from one side then wrapping it around in the opposite direction and latching it on the opposite side.

To'4 facilitate the use ofthe cover flap 18, one side (or both sides) of the handbag adjacent its top is provided with one part of a snap fastener as at 48, and the complementary-part of the snap fastener is provided on the opposite side (or sides) of the cover ap as at 50, thus making the cover iiap reversible as well as replaceable.

In Fig. 7, the bag 60 has been shown as having an inside metal base 62 provided with a slot 64 which is rectangular in cross section rather than circular in cross section as at 24, andY this rectangular slot 64,cooperates with a T-end 66, provided ontheend of a wraparound cover 68 eX- tending throughv the slot 7.0; in the bottom 72 of the handbag 60. This form of slot 70 with its T-shaped slot at 64 is illustrated in order to demonstrate the fact that the slot may be made in any suitable shape so long as the securing end 66 of the wraparound cover flap 68l sired, and furthermore a plurality of cover flaps 18 may beV provided for each handbagltl. The handbag 10 may be manufactured initially with a half dozen or more removable and replaceable and reversible cover flaps 18, but they may also be sold separately, particularly as an accessory for aparticular outfitV so that when a woman purchases a new outfit, she may also at the same time secure a new flap 18 complementary to the new outfit which she may then use to readily replace a previous cover flap 18 and thus make her bag conform to her new outfit as desired. Also, inasmuch as the bag handle 12 is removable and replaceable, bagstraps 12 may be made similarly,r with oppositesurfaces corresponding to the opposite surfaces of the cover ap 18 and may be removed and replaced at the same time if desired, or the hand bag strap may be left in a neutral finish similar to the finish of the handbag 10 per se when the wraparound cover flap 18 is not placed therearound.

Although this invention has been described invconsiderable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

l. A handbag comprising a bag and a replaceable wraparound cover flap therefor, said bag including a bag bottom having a slot extending longitudinally thereof, said slot being open at one end thereof and closed at the other end thereof, manually controllable means for readily closing and opening the open end of said slot, said cover flap having slot cooperating means at one end thereof complementary in shape and size to said slot, said cooperating means being arranged to be slid into and removed from said slot only through the open end thereof, said slot end closing means serving to firmly retain said cooperating flap means end against accidental removal, said iiap being arranged to extend over one side of the bag, then over the top of the bag, and then down over the opposite side of said bag, means for detachably securing said flap to said first mentioned side of said bag, and means for detachably latching the free end of said flap to said second mentioned side of said bag to thereby hold said tiap over the top of said bag.

2. The handbag of claim 1, a metal base in said bag bottom, said bag bottom slotV being located in said metal base.

3; The handbag of claim 1, saidwraparound flap being reversible and arranged to present a different appearance on opposite sides thereof, said detachable securing means ofV said ap being available from lboth opposite sides of said flap.

4. A handbag comprising a bag and a readily removable and replaceable wraparound cover flap therefor, said bag having a ilap latching means on at least one side thereof, detachable iiap attaching means on the opposite side thereof, and` means in the bottom of said bag `and means on one end of said ap cooperating with said means in the, bottom of said bag for readily attachably and detachably securing said end of said tlap to said means in the bottom of said bag, said flap having latch cooperating means adjacent to the opposite end thereof for cooperating with said bag side latch means, and said flap also having attachable cooperating means intermedi-ate its endscooperatin-g with said bag side attaching means, said readily attachable and detachable cooperating means in said bag bottom comprising a slot extending therein from one. open side thereof and closed at its other side, means for closingl said open side of said slot and complementary slot engaging means provided on the securing endV of said flap.

5. The handbag of claim 4, said bag bottom slot and said complementary slot cooperating means of said flap being circular in cross section.

6. The handbag of claim 4, said bag bottom slot and said complementary slot cooperating means of said flap being rectangular in cross section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNiTED STATES PATENTS 2,023,144 Miller Dec. 3, 1935 2,093,097 Potash Sept. 14, 1937 2,723,696 Kase Nov. 15, 1955 2,784,756 Resnick Mar. l2, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,079,577 France May 19, 1954 

